Just The Way You Are
by kaitlyn hudgens
Summary: "We prepare food on that counter, and he still uses diapers as his potty. Do you want poopy diapers on the counter we make our meals on?" "Speaking of poopy diapers, his needs changing, Mommy."
1. Chapter 1

Sharpay watched Troy with a small smile, watching him run after his two-year-old son Brycen. Troy was only eighteen years old, but he was the most amazing father Sharpay had ever known and seen. She and Troy had been best friends since they were babies. Sharpay was there when Troy had his first kiss. _She_ was his first kiss. She was there when he lost his virginity. He'd lost it to her. She was there when Troy said he cheated. He cheated on her with Gabriella. They broke up, but stayed best friends. She was there when the words "I'm pregnant" came out of Gabriella's mouth, and she was there for the both of them to cry on her shoulder. Even though she knew it was their own fault, she still felt sympathy for them.

Sharpay and Troy hadn't been that careless. They used protection. Troy and Gabriella both received a lecture from her. She told them both that they were stupid, and they didn't respect each other enough to use protection. She said that they now had a responsibility only the two of them could take on. Here she was, two years later, helping Troy the best she could to raise their son. _Their_ son. That meant Troy and Sharpay's son. Not Troy and Gabriella's, even though Gabriella gave birth to Brycen. Nope, Sharpay had been there for Troy this whole time. Not once did she ever feel like she was being taken advantage of, out of the many, many times Troy had asked her to baby sit. She loved it. Gabriella found out that motherhood was too big a task for her to handle.

Brycen was just two months old when Gabriella gave up her parental rights. Ever since then, Sharpay had been Brycen's mother figure. When he was learning how to talk, his first word was 'Mama' and it was to her. When he took his first steps, it was to her and Troy. When he screams at night for Mama, he's screaming for Sharpay. Not Gabriella. When Sharpay turned eighteen, she legally adopted Brycen. She and Troy hadn't gotten back together, but they were still the best of friends. They might as well be a couple, as much as they're around each other. They flirt like crazy and people swear up and down that they're having sex. So maybe they live together, sleep in the same bed and have had sex a few times… A _lot_ of few times. But, that didn't mean they were together. What did that make them? Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Sharpay's smile got a little wider when Brycen squealed as Troy picked him up tipped him upside down. She loved his squeal. His laugh. His voice. The way he spoke and pronounced his words. He was the best thing that had ever entered her life and she was as proud as ever to call him her son.

"Mama!" Brycen said, holding his arms out to Sharpay as Troy walked over to her.

"Hi, baby. Are you having fun with Daddy?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands and kissing his lips as his hands laid over hers.

"Yeah, I havin' fun."

"Tell Daddy to let you up honey, you're turning red."

Troy flipped Brycen right side up and he handed him to Sharpay, sitting on the steps of the back porch. "This kid really gives you a workout," he said.

Sharpay nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. I chase him around all day."

"Not _all_ day…"

"Sixteen hours out of the day. My bad."

"That's better."

"Mama, I see Dramma?" Brycen asked, looking up at her.

"Maybe tomorrow, buddy. We're all going to bed early tonight. Daddy's got work and Mommy doesn't feel very good today," Sharpay said, kissing his head.

"Mama no feel dood? Mama sick?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Dada, Mama sick!"

"I know. How about we make Mommy feel better and cook her favorite dinner after we wash up?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, dat make Mama better."

"Okay. Mommy, may I have my assistant?"

"Take him," Sharpay said, handing Brycen to Troy as she stood up. "I'm gonna go take a pill. I have a headache," she said, starting into the house.

"Only _one_ this time, Shar."

"Yeah, yeah…" she muttered, walking into the house and making her way to the bathroom. She let out a small breath and closed the door before opening the medicine cabinet. Once she found the pills she was looking for, she took one out of the bottle, filled a Dixie cup of water from the faucet and downed the pill and the water. She took a few seconds to look at herself in the mirror and she sighed, running her hands over her face. She'd been tired as hell this last week or two. She was starting to feel fatigued and she was constantly battling with headaches. She couldn't take a pill until Troy got home because the pills she takes makes her a little loopy sometimes and she can't risk that when she's home alone with Brycen.

Her stomach bubbled and she let out a small breath, running her hand over her belly. That had been happening a lot, too. She didn't have to burp, she wasn't hungry, she wasn't gassy, and she didn't have to use the toilet, yet it still bubbled and gurgled. It hadn't been happening as long as the fatigue, tiredness and headaches, but it was still happening a lot, even for it just starting that morning. The bubbling stopped after a few seconds, but as soon as she felt that acidic fluid rising, she knelt over the toilet and gagged several times in between vomiting.

"_What the hell? …Well, that was just all of a sudden…"_ she thought to herself. What brought that on? She knew she didn't over eat, because she hadn't eaten very much today at all. She ate enough so she wasn't hungry, though. It just didn't make any sense to her. What could have made her sick? She didn't eat anything different, she wasn't exposed to anything vile… except maybe Brycen's diapers. Nothing else came to mind, except that maybe it was just a stomach bug or her stomach retaliating against something she'd eaten that could have been a little past the expiration date.

After she calmed down and her stomach wasn't jumping anymore, Sharpay stood up and flushed the toilet, before rinsing her mouth out, washing her hands and splashing her face with water. She looked at herself for a few seconds before making her way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, rubbing her belly subconsciously.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, sitting Brycen on the island. "I heard you getting sick."

Sharpay nodded. "I'm fine. I don't know what happened. I was fine, and then I just… yeah…"

"Maybe you're getting the flu."

"Maybe. Get him off of the counter. You both know better."

"Come on, Mom; he's fine. He's gonna help me."

"We prepare food on that counter, and he still uses diapers as his potty. Do you want poopy diapers on the counter we make our meals on?"

Troy scrunched his nose up. "Good point," he said, taking Brycen off of the counter. "Speaking of poopy diapers, his needs changing, Mommy."

Sharpay shook her head. "Nuh uh. I just puked my guts out. There's no way I can handle that stinky mess. You get him changed, I'll go get the door," she said as the doorbell rang.

"Deal," he said, walking out of the kitchen.

Sharpay walked to the front door and she opened it, smiling when she saw Taylor. "Hey, Tay."

"Hi. Where's my boy?" Taylor asked, walking into the house as she shut the door behind her.

"Troy's changing his diaper."

"Bet he's having fun with that one."

"Probably not, he stinks."

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Taylor said, putting her hand against Sharpay's forehead.

"I'm fine. I got sick a few minutes ago."

"That would explain the reeky breath. Ever heard of toothpaste, breath mints or a tic tac?"

"Tic tacs _are_ breath mints, Taylor."

"Oh, okay, smart ass. Why are you throwing up?"

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know. Could have been something I ate," she said, walking to the living room with Taylor.

"Well, do you have any other symptoms other than throwing up?" Taylor asked as she sat next to Sharpay on the couch.

"I've been tired. I'm a little achy on and off throughout the day, but nothing too bad."

Taylor thought for a few seconds and she looked at Sharpay. "Are you and Troy still having sex?"

Sharpay raised an eyebrow and looked at Taylor. "We live together, we have a son together and we sleep in the same bed. _Together_."

"Are you having unprotected sex? _Together_?"

"We have a couple times."

"When was the last time? And the time before that?"

"I don't know. A couple months, maybe."

"Sharpay, I really think you should take a pregnancy test."

Sharpay's eyes widened and she shook her head, looking at Taylor again. "I can't be pregnant, Taylor."

"You've had unprotected sex with him, Sharpay."

"That doesn't mean I'm pregnant."

"You're throwing up, you're tired, you're achy."

"That's also symptoms of the flu, Taylor. I can't have a baby right now. I'm just now getting my life together…"

"You need to worry about your family for right now."

Sharpay let out a small breath and looked at her stomach. What if she really was pregnant? How were she and Troy going to take care of Brycen _and_ a newborn? Brycen still had his fits where he wanted only Sharpay, and if she had a baby to take care of at the time, she wouldn't be able to give in to him and give him her full and undivided attention. What if she couldn't handle that?

"Take a test," Taylor said.

Sharpay let out a small breath and ran her hand through her hair. "I will… What am I gonna tell Troy, though? He had such a hard time when Gabriella got pregnant… He felt horrible when he found out. I don't want him feeling like that again."

"You're both older now. Not much older, but you are older and wiser. Look at Brycen. He's an amazing little boy, and that's all thanks to you and Troy. You two are the best parents to that little boy and you both love him unconditionally. You'll do great with a new baby."

"Brycen was a new baby at one point, Taylor. It wasn't easy. It's still not easy."

"Parenting isn't supposed to be easy."

"I wish it was…"

"Hang in there, Shar. You can do this."

Sharpay sighed. "I hope so…"

* * *

><p>Troy watched Sharpay walk out of their bathroom, and and he stayed quiet when she slowly crawled into bed. He didn't know if he should say something, or just let her be. He was worried about her, but he didn't want to make her mad. She seemed like she was in a bad mood. Maybe she was getting the flu. He heard her get sick after dinner, and she'd just finished getting sick again. What if it wasn't the flu? What if it was something more serious? What if she was developing an eating disorder? He noticed that when she got sick the first time, she'd eaten just a little bit before.<p>

Troy let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and he looked at Sharpay for a few seconds. "Are you anorexic?"

Sharpay's eyes widened and her head snapped towards him. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, I mean… You're getting sick. Every time you eat, you throw up."

"That's called bulimia…"

"Well, are you bulimic?"

"No! Why are you asking me that?"

"Because it's just weird that you're throwing up every time you eat. It's not healthy and it's not normal, Sharpay."

"It is when you're pregnant!" Sharpay snapped, turning over on her side as she laid down.

Troy's eyes widened. "What?"

Sharpay stayed silent for a few seconds and she blinked as tears filled her eyes. "I took a pregnancy test. I'm pregnant."

"…How?"

"Because we had sex, Troy, use your head. The one on your shoulders, not the one in your pants."

"But… We always use a condom, Sharpay, you can't be pregnant."

"We didn't use a condom in February. Valentine's Day, remember? We didn't use one then. And we didn't use one on New Years Day."

Troy's head spun, and he stayed quiet, laying back on the bed. _"We're having a baby? …How are we gonna manage that? Sure, we have Brycen… he's a handful all on his own. How did we let this happen?"_ he thought.

Troy's silence made Sharpay think he was mad, and more tears collected in her eyes, making them fall down her face. _"Why isn't he saying anything? Is he mad at me? Oh my god, he is! He's pissed, he's gonna make me move back in with my parents and I won't be able to see Brycen anymore and… oh god, I'm gonna get sick!"_

Sharpay quickly got up from the bed and she bolted from the bed, making a mad dash to the bathroom. The second she got in there, she fell to her knees in front of the toilet and started the third vomiting episode of the day. Within seconds, she felt her hair being pulled into a low ponytail and she felt Troy's hand caressing her back.

A few coughs and gags later, Sharpay finally spit the excess vomit from her mouth and attempted to catch a little of her breath, putting her hand to her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

Sharpay nodded. "Yeah… I think."

"Gonna get sick again?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Need help up?"

"Yep."

Troy stood up and he lifted her up under her arms, keeping his arms wrapped around her to make sure she had her balance. "You're good?"

Sharpay nodded and she walked to the sink to rinse her mouth out, while Troy flushed the toilet. Pregnant or not, she hated throwing up. She'd never get used to it. She hated the feeling of needing to throw up, she hated the feeling when she _was_ throwing up, and she just plain hated throwing up. Period. Period! Duh! She hadn't had hers in three months! How could she not have noticed that?

After rinsing her mouth and brushing her teeth, Sharpay slid back into bed and she let out a small breath, getting comfortable. Troy slid under the covers with her and he pulled her against him gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her shoulder. "We're gonna get through this, Shar," he said. "I promise. We'll be fine."

"I hope so…" she said, closing her eyes as his lips brushed over her neck.

"We will."

"No hickeys… The paparazzi make a big deal about it when I don't cover them up."

"Fuck the paparazzi, you're a grown woman. Surely they know you're sexually active."

"And why would they know that? Hickeys don't mean we're having sex."

"But, we are."

"Yeah, but they don't know that."

"They don't know that Brycen isn't your son. They think and know we're having sex."

"No, they don't know. They don't need to know Brycen isn't my son. He _is_ my son as far as I'm concerned, and you know that. I don't care who gave birth to him, that little boy is _my_ baby."

"I know that. No one has to know. Don't worry about it. No one's going to find out. I promise."

Sharpay sighed as the phone started ringing and she reached over to her night stand and grabbed it, holding it to her ear. "Bolton residence, this is Sharpay."

"_I'm getting my son back. You have a court hearing coming in the mail. If you fail to show up, you automatically lose him. Be there or lose Brycen. Your choice."_

When Sharpay heard the dial tone, tears filled her eyes and she sat up. "Gabriella."

"What? What about her? Was that her?" Troy asked.

Sharpay nodded and let out a rack of sobs. "She said I have a court hearing and if I don't show up, I'll lose Brycen. She said she's getting him back."

"What? She can't get him back, she gave up her parental rights."

"She's taking me to court, Troy, what am I gonna do? I _just_ adopted him, they can't just take him away from me," she said as she sobbed with a whine.

"They won't, Shar. When they find out she gave up her parental rights, they won't grant her custody at all. Just visitation. If that."

"I don't _want_ her to have fucking visitation! She abandoned him so she could fuck whatever guy she could get her hands on! I don't want her around my son!"

"I know. I know, babe, she's not gonna get near him. I promise."

"I mean, she's completely changed. She's Gothic now, did you know that? She wears black all the time, her make up is black, and while it looks amazing on her in a creepy kind of way, it's just not the Gabriella we knew. She smokes, Troy; I don't want my baby around that."

"You smoke, too."

"Not around him. I stay a tolerable amount of space away from him when I smoke. She smokes in the house with her little sister in the room."

"Grace smokes too, it doesn't effect her."

"I'm talking about the littlest one, the toddler."

"That's Grace's daughter."

"What is it with that family and having their kids so young?"

"Hey."

"I said their family, not you."

"That was still a pun. Sharpay, I promise you she's not going to get Brycen. She won't get near him. I promise."

"How can you promise something like that when you don't know?"

Troy sighed and he kissed her head lightly. "I do know. I'm Troy Bolton."


	2. Chapter 2

"Mama," Brycen whispered, patting Sharpay's arm.

Sharpay opened her eyes and she looked at Brycen with a small smile. "What's the matter, baby?"

"I up now."

"I see that. You wanna get up here with Mommy and Daddy and lay down for a little bit until Daddy wakes up?"

"Yeah, I up wif Mama."

Sharpay lifted Brycen up onto the bed and she turned over so she was facing Troy as she laid Brycen down between them. She smiled a little when Brycen snuggled up to her and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his head. "I love you," she said.

"I yuboo too."

Sharpay giggled a little and she took in a deep breath, smelling his baby shampoo. She loved the smell of his shampoo. She'd used the same shampoo and baby bath on him since Gabriella left. She only used Johnsons brands with him. She loved the smell of it, and the aroma therapy that's put in it gets him to sleep fast.

"Mama," Brycen said.

"What, Brycey?"

"I doh see Dramma?"

"Not today, sweetie. I know I said you could today, but let's wait until this weekend, okay? You can spend the whole weekend with her that way, okay?"

"Otayyy."

Sharpay smiled and chuckled lightly. She loved how easy he was to please. Of course, he didn't _want_ to wait until the weekend, but he knew better than to argue with her because she always won. "Daddy has to get up for work. You wanna wake him up?"

"Yeah."

"Kay."

Brycen got up on his knees, and he stood over Troy, with his legs on either side of him. Sharpay knew what was going to happen. Before she could say anything or stop him, Brycen plopped down on a very, very important part of Troy's body, making him wake up immediately with a groan. Brycen scrambled off of him and plopped down in Sharpay's lap as Troy held himself and he buried his face into Sharpay's side.

Sharpay looked at Brycen, holding back a laugh. "Brycen Kevin Bolton, what have I told you about sitting on Daddy right there? That hurts him, baby, you can't sit there."

"Mama sit dare."

"Because Mommy knows how to sit there the right way and make Daddy feel good," Troy said, muffled by Sharpay's side.

Sharpay smacked Troy's arm. "Don't say stuff like that to him. Brycey, you can't do that anymore. That hurts a lot, honey."

"Dada hurt?" Brycen asked.

"Dada's _very _hurt."

"Bwycen tiss Dada owwie."

"No, no. Only Mommy can kiss that owwie," Troy said.

"Troy Kenneth Bolton," Sharpay said.

"What? It's true."

"Mama, I tired," Brycen said with a whine.

Sharpay kissed his head lightly. "Go lay down for a nap," she said, putting Brycen down on the floor.

"Otay. Night night, Mama."

"Night, baby."

Sharpay watched Brycen run out of the room and she laid back down, turning to face Troy. "So. How's that wound?"

"Not funny," Troy said.

"Well, if it hurts _that_ bad, I guess we can't have sex," she said, kissing his lips lightly.

"No one said it doesn't still work."

"Well, does it still work?"

"It works very well."

"Good, because I am very… _very_ horny right now."

"I can change that. What time is it?"

"Six-fifteen."

"I have an hour and a half before I have to get to work."

"You better make it fast while I have a minimum amount of clothing on before I put my pants on."

"You wearing a thong?"

"I'm not wearing anything."

"Let's fuck."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Sharpay was snuggled against Troy, with her head on his chest, and a lazy smile on her face. She let out a content sigh and she looked at him for a few seconds before kissing his chest.<p>

"Mm… I love youuu," Sharpay said, stretching.

"I love you, too."

"You need a shower before you go to work. You're all messy now."

"All thanks to your squirting super powers."

Sharpay laughed and sat up. "Seriously, you really need a shower. I don't think you want your co-workers knowing what I smell like."

"Oh, please. What's the worst they're gonna say?"

"Well. They could be like _'__hey, __what__'__s __that __scent __you __have __on?__'_" she asked, deepening her voice.

Troy laughed. "Whatever."

"And then you'd say _'__oh, __that__'__s __my __wife, __we __just __had __sex__'_ and then they'd say _'__I__'__d __hit __it__'_ and _you'd_ hit _them_."

Troy laughed again and he ruffled her hair lightly, only being smacked in return. "You're cute, Shar."

"Seriously, Troy, take a shower. You're not going to work smelling like sex."

"Fineee. But, you have to take a shower, too."

"I will after you do."

"What about Brycen?"

"What about him? He's sleeping, and I leave the door open for him incase he has to pee. He'll find me."

"If you lose our kid, I'm calling the police on you."

"I will not lose him."

"You said that last time and he was in the laundry room."

* * *

><p>"Brycen Kevin Bolton!" Sharpay snapped as she saw Brycen throw his cereal bowl on the floor from his high chair. "You know better, damn it, now knock it off," she said, picking the bowl up.<p>

"I no do nuffin."

"Bullshit. Stop throwing things. Mommy's not in a good mood today. If you do it again, I'll bust your ass."

"No, Mama no huwt my butt!"

"Then knock it off. I'm not playing today, Brycen."

"I no pway eider, Mama."

Sharpay sighed and she ran her hand through her hair lightly. "Brycey, Mommy doesn't feel good. I want you to behave, and I want you to stop acting up. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I unersand."

"You better."

"I do."

"Babe, I'm home!" Troy called out.

"Good, come clean up your son's mess," Sharpay said, putting the bowl in the sink.

"What did he do?" he asked, walking into the room and dropping the mail on the table.

"He threw his bowl down and made a mess."

"And you couldn't clean it up because…?"

Sharpay looked at Troy for a few seconds and she crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she narrowed her eyes. "Because if I bend over to clean it up, there's gonna be an even bigger mess. I don't feel good, I'm tired, I have a headache, my stomach is jumpy, and Bryce is acting up."

"Have you gotten sick?"

"A couple times."

"Did you make Mommy feel better, Buddy?" Troy asked, kissing Brycen's head.

"Yeah," Brycen said. "Mommy fwow up," he said, pointing towards Sharpay.

Troy turned around, to where Brycen was pointing and he walked over to Sharpay, who was leaning over the sink, gagging. He hadn't even noticed her make her way over there. "Are you alright?" he asked.

He knew she wouldn't be able to answer. He could tell she was going to have a violent vomit attack because she kept spitting the saliva out of her mouth that kept forming. The second Troy pulled her hair back, Sharpay started throwing up and he patted her back whenever she gagged. As soon as she was okay, Troy turned the water on and he got in a cabinet, handing her a tupperware bowl. "Go sit down. Keep your head over it in case you throw up again. I'll help you to bed after I clean the sink."

"Mama otay?" Brycen asked.

Sharpay smiled a little and nodded as she passed him, sitting down in a kitchen chair and leaning forward a little over the bowl Troy gave her.

"Mommy's fine. Her tummy's not feeling good right now," Troy said, rinsing the sink out.

"Fill it up with hot water once you rinse it out and put bleach in it," Sharpay said with a slightly raspy voice.

"Okay."

"Mama," Brycen said, turning around in his high chair.

"What, Baby?" she asked.

"Mama otay?"

"Mommy's fine, Honey," she said, putting the bowl on the table and picking the mail up.

"Mama doh pway wif Bwyce?"

"Not right now Baby. My tummy's still turning," Sharpay said flipping through the mail. She stopped when she saw a letter from the court house and she immediately threw the other mail back on the table, quickly opening the letter and reading through it as fast and thoroughly as possible. "No, no, no…" she muttered, standing up and rushing to the phone.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"This court date is for today!" she said as her voice cracked, dialling the number on the letter.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Troy!" Sharpay snapped, pushing the letter into his hands. She ran her hand through her hair and she let her eyes fill with tears before someone answered. "Yeah, um, I-I got a letter in the mail today, saying I have a court appearance today at 4:30… My name is Sharpay Evans… No, I don't know exactly what this hearing is for, but I think it might be about my son… _What_? No, no, no, I adopted him, he's legally my son, and I have a hearing today but it's already four, how am I supposed to get there in time? This has to be a mistake… Gabriella Montez called me last night and told me she was taking me to court, but I didn't know it was this soon… Well, can't I reschedule? I can't even go fifteen minutes without vomiting, I… No, I'm pregnant… Why doesn't it count? …So it can't be rescheduled? …Yeah… Yeah, fine, that's better, I'll be there. Thank you," she said before hanging up. She looked at Brycen and then to Troy. "They can't reschedule it but they can post pone it to 5:30."

"So we have to go today?" Troy asked.

"Yeah… We have to bring Bryce…"

"I better give him a bath then. He looks atrocious."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow. "You used a big word. Do you even know what it means?"

"…No."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. "Mm… I love you, Babe…"

"I love you, too."

"I don't want to lose him…"

"You won't. I won't let that happen. I promise."

"Mama," Brycen said.

"What, Babe?" Sharpay asked.

"I 'twocious."

Sharpay laughed. "Yeah. You're 'trocious."

* * *

><p>Sharpay was happy about how court ended. Well… Not happy, but not completely pissed. She and Troy have full custody of Brycen, but since Gabriella shows no signs of being a bad mother and since she has a job and can actually support him if she had to, she got visitation rights every weekend starting next Saturday. So, even though she didn't get what she wanted, which was for Gabriella to never see Brycen again, she still got what she wanted because she has full custody of him. She heard the familiar clack of heels, and she could have sworn she'd been taken back to East High's hallways hearing her own Louis Vuittons, but when she shifted her eyes towards the direction of the sound, she saw the black calf-length heeled boots, followed by black fishnet stockings, a black pleated skirt, a black t-shirt covered by an unbuttoned black leather jacket, and finally Gabriella Montez's black lipstick, black eyeliner and black eyeshadow sticken face. She even dyed her hair black. Every thing was black. Strangely, Sharpay had to admit that it looked great on Gabriella.<p>

When Gabriella got a little closer, Sharpay scooted down the bench so the Latina could sit down with her.

There was an awkward silence until Gabriella spoke up.

"He's my son," she said.

Sharpay lifted her head and looked at her for a few seconds.

"I know I haven't been there for him, but he _is_ my son," she continued. "I deserve the right to watch him grow up. I deserve that."

"You gave up your parental rights, Gabriella," Sharpay said. "You gave up every right you had about Bryce."

"I was fifteen!" she snapped. "I was fifteen years old, Sharpay, I was scared to death," she let her voice crack.

Sharpay saw the tears fill Gabriella's eyes and she couldn't help but feel bad for her. She knew she'd feel the same way if she was in her shoes.

"I know I did a terrible thing, okay? I know I screwed up. I know I should have stayed in his life. I know I should have addressed this to you before bringing it to court, and I'm sorry I didn't, but I didn't think I had a choice. I didn't think you'd let me see him."

"Because I wouldn't have. I would have told you that you could fuck yourself and that you'd never lay your eyes on him again."

Gabriella sniffled. "I know I bailed, but I'm older now. I don't want him to not know who his mother is."

"_I_ am his mother, Gabriella. I've raised him for two years. I feed him, change his diapers, get him dressed, bathe him, put him to sleep. I play with him, I watch his favorite movies and shows, I read to him, I sing to him, I teach him those corny showtunes we sang in high school. I do every thing a mother does for their children. I'm his mother. Me. Not you."

"I gave birth to him, he is my son."

"You gave him life. I gave him every thing else."

"It's not right to keep me away from him, Sharpay. I miss him."

Sharpay shook her head out of frustration and she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Look, you did this at a really bad time, okay? I'm pregnant, I'm not feeling good. I've been vomiting non stop all day, in fact, you're lucky you don't have my lunch all over your black hole themed outfit."

"…You're pregnant?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah…"

"It's Troy's?"

"Whose else would it be?"

"Sorry… Congratulations."

Sharpay looked at Gabriella for a few seconds. "…Thanks."

Gabriella played with her nails for a few seconds before looking at Sharpay. "…How is he?"

"Who?"

"Brycen."

"He's fine. He's alive."

"And Troy?"

"Why do you want to know about him?"

"Because he's my son's father."

"_My_son's father. He's fine."

"Why do you hate me? What did I do to you?" Gabriella asked, looking at Sharpay with tears ready to fall.

Sharpay scowled and she looked at Gabriella. "Are you really asking me that? What did you do? You gave birth to be most amazing little boy in this whole wide world, and then you just up and leave. You leave him with Troy and me to raise, and for two whole years you're out of our lives completely but now all of a sudden you're back without a word and want to see my son."

"I didn't leave him with _you_. I left him with Troy. You swooped in after I left. You've _always_ wanted to take Troy away from me and you did it as soon as you got the chance."

"He's my best friend, Gabriella."

"You stole him away from me."

"No. He cheated on me with _you_. _You_ stole him from _me_."

"He loved me."

"Yeah, but see, the difference between you and me, Gabriella, is that he's _in_ love with me. He liked you for a while. You were the one he went to for a quick fuck. You wanna know a little secret? We were still fucking even after you two got together. The night you told him you were pregnant and he said he had to think? He came to my place. You know what he told me? He said you were pregnant. Then he said getting with you was a mistake. He said he should have never cheated on me and we would have still been together. We made love that night. _Several_ times."

Gabriella let her tears fall and she let out a sob, standing up to leave. "You still as big a bitch as you were in high school, Sharpay. You are a terrible person and a terrible _mother_. I hope you rot in Hell," she said, walking off.

When Sharpay thought about it, she really was a bad person. She and Troy really did keep hooking up. But, she was wrong to say it to Gabriella. She only said it to piss her off. She'd been a bitch. _I __really __am __a __terrible __person__… __I __don__'__t __know __why __I__'__m __even __wasting __the __boys__' __time__…_


End file.
